While Eugenia has already detailed just how intricate and impressive the MPEG-LA's efforts have been to basically set up the foundations that would allow them to sue just about everyone - their vague and unclear licenses are used in everything from DVD players to digital camcorders, and as such, it's hard to avoid them. Many others claim that the MPEG-LA won't ever go rogue (or this, take your pick). I think those people will be interested to know that one of the MPEG-LA's subsidiaries, a cut-and-clear patent troll, has launched several patent infringement suits earlier this year. This patent troll's CEO? Larry Horn - yes, the same Larry Horn who's also CEO of the MPEG-LA.

Existing to 'license' things to people.... Sounds an awful lot like existing to charge people money for doing things they patented.

This kind of patent-trolling and blatant abuse of the system which was meant to improve innovation needs to stop.

I hope very strongly that google open-source VP8, that MPEG-LA sue them over some broad, all-enveloping patent, and that software patents are rendered null and void by a combination of that and Apple vs HTC.

It was so real,
Like I woke up in Wonderland.
All sorta terrifying
I don't wanna be all alone
While I tell this story.
And can anyone tell me why
Y'all sound like Peanuts parents?
Will I ever be coming down?
This is so real
Finally, it's my lucky day
See, my heart is racing
'Cause this shit never happens to me
-Tool, Rosetta Stoned

This is how I feel nowdays visiting OSNews, it's like Area 51 with Coffee shop. Excuse while I put diapers and fix my tin foil hat.

Flash video is mostly moving towards H.264, and anything that uses that codec via Flash faces the exact same issues.

To be precise Adobe are paying these guys already to distribute Flash, and if in 5 years they charge for web streaming it will apply regardless of if the video is watched via Flash or native in HTML5.

We've only been discussing this to death, you'd think we'd have mastered these subtle technical distinctions by now.

Plus, we shouldn't be annoying Adobe on this particular issue. By getting them to adopt VP8 (or if desperate using the already deployed VP6) they have the ability to decide this codec shenanigans in favour of royalty-free codecs if they want to. We'll need to serve something to the poor souls running IE6-8 and I'd rather not have multiple files if it's not necessary.

Why, not providing easy Youporn viewing will motivate them to upgrade to IE9.. MS has less IE6~8 to support and they push users forward to the current IE version (well, users that don't move to a better and more open browser).

It's not because the CEO of MobileMedia Ideas is the same, that the MPEG-LA itself has any connection to it, and certainly not that if Apple gets sued and has to pay, that Apple would receive any of the money this MobileMedia Ideas company would receive from them through this legal way...

Apple, Microsoft, or any other MPEG-LA member would only receive licensing money when someone takes a license for one of the patent pools which MPEG-LA manages, which includes their patents managed by the MPEG-LA. Nobody ever said these patents MobileMedia Idea's now sues for were ever in a pool managed by the MPEG-LA. Apple and Microsoft also have tons of patents for which they could sue any other MPEG-LA member when they would violate it.

While the MPEG-LA certainly isn't my favorite organisation, this article is just FUD.

Either the patents are valid or they are not. Isn't this what people want? Basically, the primary concern now with patents in general, and MPEG-LA, is that their patent holding are FUD, that they hold their claims and threats over folks heads and through muddled statements.

Rather than saying "You may be in violation, and will need to license this", they're finally pulling the trigger and trying to enforce the patents. Which means they need to, in court, qualify and clarify their patent claims.

Once that's done, other can more readily (potentially) work around their patents and achieve the same functionality.

I would expect that the patent-free codec folks would embrace a lawsuit, as that seems like the only way they can get traction as a safe alternative by surviving the process instead of living under a cloud of threats, FUD, "I say, He says".

At least they're going after folks who's legal departments are mere blips on their balance sheets compared to Joe the Hacker who would need to mortgage their life.

As said in this article, at MPEG-LA, we've always gone after anybody in need of a license, to offer them one, because we're nice like that.

Also, h264 is open, whereas Theora isn't free. It would be better for you to "goodthink different", like John Gruber does.

Also note that all iPhone apps will soon have to be coded in objective-newspeak, a new language which won't compile if your app contains porn or political cartoons (and some other undiscosed reasons - just remember: if it doesn't compile, it is crimecode).

Finally, by the end of 2016, MPEG-LA will rename itself the ministry of love-LA. We are currently training our agents on the model of the ones who investigated the stolen iPhone case."

The MPEG-LA is shackling the web (and beyond) to H264 and its patents, so that it will be able to collect royalties until the end of time, and sue anyone who dares to step out of line. Their behaviour is harming innovation, and a direct threat to the freedom of the web. MobileMedia Ideas' patent troll behaviour is only a taste of what's to come if we allow H264 to ruin the web even further.

Thing about Stallman, I used to think he was crazy. Of late though, seeing the crap these big patent trolls and corporate types keep pulling, I'm wondering if maybe he's not quite as crazy as I thought.

The one thing I'd love to see is something along the lines of a law passed that if a technology becomes so critical to the economy that a small group can hold hostage millions due to patents - that the law would allow some sort of organisation to grab the patents and allow royalty free implementation of that given technology. That is about the only way one can see a balanced approach to software development, especially when one considers that h264 isn't just a CODEC, it is a major piece of technology that permeates ever part of a persons life; from online movies to cam corders, to applications, digital television, digital music and so on. Something with such a large grip on the economy can be allowed to hold the whole economy to ransom because a noble intention has been screwed beyond belief into the current situation with patents.

-A patents is owned by all individuals who participated to its creation
-They can't transfer its property
-Once all of them have died, the patent is released in public domain and its ideas cannot be patented anymore

Oh we did, just like copyright. It's just that once money gets involved, governments get involved. While either money or government involvement is no problem, both at the same time is an explosive mix.